


A Place in the Dark, In the Black

by storyspinner70



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Comics), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Berserker Thor (Marvel), Bottom Loki (Marvel), Brotherly Brawling, Canon Divergence - Post-Avengers (2012), Canon-Typical Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, Fisting, M/M, NSFW Art, Top Thor (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-14 10:26:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16490822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storyspinner70/pseuds/storyspinner70
Summary: Loki must retrieve a Berserker Thor that has absorbed both the Godbomb blast and the Necrosword after defeating the God Butcher. Thor is either dead or cloaked from Heimdall's sight, but Loki will never willingly let him go without knowing either way. As he travels the nine realms and the spaces in between, Loki finds out some fundamental truths about himself and his brother. Nothing is as he thought, and he finds himself picking at a web of lies that should probably never be unraveled, but nothing will keep him from his brother – not even the hellish nightmare creature that Thor has become.Written for the Thorki Big Bang. Title from the amazing tune The Getaway by The White Buffalo.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Loki must retrieve a Berserker Thor that has absorbed both the Godbomb blast and the Necrosword after defeating the God Butcher. Thor is either dead or cloaked from Heimdall's sight, but Loki will never willingly let him go without knowing either way. As he travels the nine realms and the spaces in between, Loki finds out some fundamental truths about himself and his brother. Nothing is as he thought, and he finds himself picking at a web of lies that should probably never be unraveled, but nothing will keep him from his brother – not even the hellish nightmare creature that Thor has become.

 **A/N:** Idea for the plot from the comics (though it ignores the Past, King and Modern Thor arc), characterizations and other details from the MCU. (Or: what would happen if there were only one Thor and one Mjolnir the day the Godbomb detonated?) Screwy timeline is screwy. Assume everything happened like in the movies, but Loki didn’t know he was Jotunn yet.

So many thanks to my amazing artist [Tengokua](https://tengokua.tumblr.com/post/179641962817/for-thorkibigbang-ill-link-the-fic-once-its) and to MistressWonderdyke Sadiste for helping me out by betaing this mess. :D

My net was out on Halloween so I didn't get it posted in time, but onward and upward, right?

PS: Amazing art in Chapter 2 is amazing! It's also NSFW, so you've been warned!

 

_**A Place in the Dark, in the Black** _

The throne room doors burst open, and Loki strode in, dramatic as always. “I am here to congratulate the returning hero!”

“Son...” Frigga started, then fell silent.

Loki’s eyebrows climbed, and he scanned the chamber quickly. “Well? Where is the great lumbering fool?”

Frigga looked away, her face quietly devastated. Loki’s eyes snapped to Odin, but his face was blank, his jaw set like stone.

“Where is he?” Loki repeated, his voice deceptively calm.

“Your brother took the Necrosword from Gorr,” Odin began before cutting off, clearing his throat.

Loki narrowed his eyes. “I’m aware. I’ve heard all about it already just on the trip from the stables to the palace.” He clapped his hands and raised his voice mockingly, “Where is the bard! Has he started the grand saga of Odinson’s greatest triumph? If not, have him killed and get another!” Lowering his arms and his voice, Loki stared at Odin, his gaze unwavering. “Where is Thor?”

“Your brother stopped the God Butcher and his creatures. He saved us all,” Odin said steadily.

“Where is he?” Loki repeated.

“Gorr finally completed his biggest weapon. It had taken him nearly a millennium, but he had done it.” Odin continued as if Loki had never spoken. “The Godbomb, he named it, of all things. It would have killed every god still in existence instantaneously. Thor...”

“I will not ask again,” Loki bit out through clenched teeth when Odin did not continue.

“Thor absorbed the blast meant for all of us. And managed to consume the Necrosword besides.”

“He what? We are not even gods! Why would he even do such a thing?”

“We are in every way that counted. Gorr is defeated.” Odin raised his eyes to Loki’s for the first time. “Thor is lost to us.”

There was a moment of silence, a nearly audible beat to the increasingly smothering air in the room. Frigga’s sorrow was a living thing and horror mounted in Loki’s gut with every breath.

“What does that mean, he is lost to us?” Loki’s voice was flat and cold.

Odin answered in the same dispassionate tone. “The weapon and the blast was too much for him. Thor... Thor was turned Berserker.”

An ugly thought wormed its way into Loki’s mind. “Where is Thor.” He bit out each word precisely.

“I had no choice...” Odin began.

“Where is Thor?” Loki roared and rushed to his father on the throne, his knives out and pressed to Odin’s throat from one second to the next.

“I do not know where the blast carried him. He is hidden from our sight or he is… I had no choice but to return to my throne.”

Frigga began to weep. Loki sheathed his knives and stepped back. “I will leave in the morning.”

“Loki...”

“In the morning,” he snapped.

**

“He will find his brother,” Frigga whispered, more to herself than Odin.

“You know he cannot be allowed to go after Thor.”

“What? If anyone can find him, Loki can.”

“That’s the problem.”

“What are you saying?” Frigga bit out. “Be clear with me, Odin.”

“I only told you a little of Thor’s power. If he still lives and Loki finds him...” Odin trailed off. “Imagine what Loki could do with a weapon like that.”

“A weapon like that?” Frigga said through stiff lips. “You mean our _son_? Have you no trust at all? Do you really think Loki would -”

“I will not allow it.”

“How can you say that?”

“As King, I must,” Odin said, an air of finality in his tone.

Frigga nodded stiffly and swept from the throne room without another word. Much later she was still trying to calm down. Even her garden could not bring her peace.

**

Loki did not wait until the morning. He left a double of himself to toss restlessly under his furs and carefully cloaked himself from Heimdall’s, and consequently Odin’s, sight. He gathered every spellbook he could and sent them to his pocket dimension along with everything he even thought he might need, leaving careful doubles of everything in their wake.

He wasted precious moments scrying for Thor, though he knew he would not find him – hoping, perhaps that even in Thor’s corrupted state of mind, he had left himself open to his beloved brother. He was nowhere to be found, and Loki felt more than a little twinge of upset.

There was a moment when Huginn entered his rooms, passing so close to his person that he could feel the breeze from his flapping wings. Huginn perched on his double’s chest for a moment then took off back to Odin. Loki finished gathering what he needed from his room and left for the rest of the palace.

As he passed through the Vault gathering weapons, he stopped reverently by Mjolnir. He could feel the air around her vibrate and could sense her mourning and grief as if she were wailing and screaming aloud.

“I will bring him back to you,” Loki promised. “We will return, and he will be yours again.”

Mjolnir shimmered and her grief pulled back to a shattered, heartbreaking loneliness.

It was clear that Odin didn’t expect his son back. If he had, Mjolnir would not be locked in the Vault like any other weapon. Standing, Loki started away, then returned, wrapping his hand around her haft. She did not budge, but Loki caught the wave of regret she sent his way.

“We’ll be home soon,” he promised, then set out to make one last stop before he left Asgard.

**

Loki was a strong and accomplished sorcerer, started on his path by his beloved mother Frigga. Loki was able to do a great many things. One thing he could not do was read other people’s minds. What he _could_ do, though, was implant suggestions or ideas into their heads. Loki slipped into his mother’s chambers, surprised to see her sleeping alone.

Loki reached out to her, quietly, not daring to touch her physically. It might be the last time he saw her. He and Thor had always been matched, though in very different ways, but a Berserker was hard enough to defeat on its own. A Berserker with Thor’s power? Well, Loki was nothing if not realistic.

Though Loki had been known to speak to people worlds away, he had to see his mother before he left. No double, just illusion to hide him from sight. Prodding gently at her mind, he left word that he was safe and gone and that she would likely not hear anything from him again until he and Thor were on their way home and that she was not to try to find them or reach out. Magic could be slippery but was almost always traceable.

It was a serious thing that he was doing. He wasn’t stupid enough to think that Odin had ever intended to allow him to hunt for Thor. He was aware of what his father thought of him and the atrocities he’d wrought in Asgard and the other realms. He must be constantly vigilant. Any slip of his cloaking and Odin would have him shackled tight in the dungeons, and that would not do.

A few final assurances for his mother to bring her peace and Loki was gone.

**

When Frigga woke the next morning, she could feel Loki in her mind like a caress and cried. She knew the stories of the Godbomb and the All-Black; of the nightmarish Berserkers. She was afraid that Loki would fail, or that he might succeed and bring back a mere shell that called itself Thor. She feared what Odin would do to Loki if he made it back. She feared he and Thor would never come back at all.

She feared… so many things.

She also knew the weight of the decisions that her husband had to make as King wore heavy on him, but never more so than now. She wasn’t sure, though, that she could forgive how quickly he made them. She was the Queen, but she was a mother first. She had that luxury.

For now.

**

The first place Loki went was the spot Thor absorbed the blast and was made Berserker. It wasn’t hard to find. Loki simply directed his seidr to find the location and just a few minutes later it was done.

There were trails of powerful magic all over the universes and space. They were different colors, different brightness, different sizes. There was one site though that was a massive conglomeration of seidr and something dark and immensely powerful. It could only be where his brother was turned.

Loki left immediately. His seidr was right.

Loki could still feel Thor in the air. Though it had been well over a day at this point, the atmosphere still crackled with his lightning. Loki took a deep breath and spent his seidr spidering out over the area.

There was blood. So much blood. The stench of it hit Loki first thing as it hung, fine misted and dank right underneath the sharp, astringent smell of Thor’s lightning strikes. He could feel the pools of blood that had long since soaked into the saturated ground. It was here he got a better picture of what Thor had been through.

Gorr worked for centuries perfecting his god killing bomb and letting the hunger of the All-Black grow with each foe he captured or destroyed. His fights ranged far and wide as he traveled the world looking for new opponents. But he always returned to his Black World to continue work on his bomb.

Gorr worried little about any of his enemies – less so even about Thor because he’d bested him once already. It would prove to be Gorr’s biggest mistake. Thor was reckless. Wild. His pride would simply not allow him to be defeated again. And when Thor was confronted with the possibility of his own death to save the life of so many others, there was no contest.

Loki dug his fingers deep into the earth where he could feel most of Thor’s blood had pooled. He clenched his fist around the soil under his palm and it all came horrifyingly clear.

He could _see_ Thor – his flesh hidden from Loki but his very essence made solid enough for Loki to see. He watched as Thor badly wounded Gorr – but that did little to keep him from his Godbomb. Loki could feel the horror in the air when Thor realized what was about to happen.

He saw Thor then, arms, legs and body curved over and under the Godbomb, a living, breathing shield against destruction. He watched as Gorr, wounded, hefted the Necrosword, hurt but blinded by hate and the desire to finish Thor before he could have any effect on the Godbomb, only to be brought low by Odin before he could do more than wound Thor yet again.

Thor was bleeding over the Godbomb, Mjolnir spitting lightning and fire and everything she had as the All-Black pulsed and shook at Thor’s feet. He saw the bomb’s destruction – watched as they all shattered – the bomb, the sword and Thor – his blood and body and brain vaporized to mere atoms, hanging still in the air. Loki could taste Thor even now, oily and viscous as bits of him clung to the roof of Loki’s mouth and the inside of his lungs.

Loki could hear screaming, but he wasn’t sure if it was him now or someone in the past. It didn’t matter. He couldn’t unclench his fingers. He couldn’t stop any of it. He could only sit and watch as his beloved brother reassembled atom by atom – whole, alive, but entirely changed, the Necrosword fundamentally different but clutched in his hand all the same.

The bomb was gone. It was no more. Gods were as they’d always been.

But Thor...

Thor was the All-Black made flesh. Thor was Berserker.

He watched as this new Thor left Mjolnir in the dirt and ash and without so much as a glance toward her or Odin, seemed to simply disappear.

He watched Odin fall to his knees, a fist buried in the bloody ground, his face downturned.

It was but a moment, then he and Mjolnir were gone.

**

The Necrosword was one of the most powerful weapons in the Nine. It had been used to slay gods across the realms and created dangerous, dark creatures called Black Berserkers – sometimes merely called Berserkers, as though a less frightening name might somehow soften the damage they wrought. It was said that the sword itself had corrupted Gorr and twisted him into an impossibly evil, even deadlier version of himself. Some said it had made him immortal.

Loki didn’t care about that. Not any of it. All he cared about was his brother and the stories that were spreading through the realms and the vast spaces between them at an infuriatingly quick rate.

They said Thor could wield the darkness as easily as he could the blade. That he created vile creatures, unlike any people had known, with nothing more than a wave of his hand. The same for weapons he summoned, as Loki had heard more than once, with the same movements as his “hellish brother the sorcerer.” That lead to stories about it not being Thor after all – that it was Loki disguised as Thor for some nefarious purpose.

Loki took great pleasure in dropping his illusions at these points to dispute those rumors personally – much to the horror of the talebearers and their listeners. Yet the stories persisted.

Sometimes, Thor had wings that he used to fly at insane speeds – faster than any flight he’d ever taken with Mjolnir. Others said he had bound creatures that served him like some kind of unholy, violent pets. It was said that the one time he was taken unaware and lost part of an arm that it was back when he was seen again the very next day.

When Gorr had the cursed sword, his strength increased enough that he was able to best all the gods that came to him in combat, and most surprisingly, Thor himself. Thor had known nothing but anger when Gorr not only withstood a massive lightning strike but all other manner of attacks sent his way – even those that would have sent Thor or Odin hurtling through space.

Loki endured all the tales with gritted teeth, keeping the truth of the All-Black to himself so as not to cause panic. Called All-Black the Necrosword, legend had it that it was the very sword that carved the first dawn from the pits of what until then had been eternal night. It drew strength not from those that wielded it but from the blood of those killed by it. It was said to hunger for blood – to demand it when it had been too long so as not to weaken in its power.

And how it loved to whisper to those who dared to hold it. Its control of energy and darkness dimmed only by its corruption and control of its chosen. Thor had been flawed, that was clear to anyone who ever knew him, but he had been a good man. He cared about his people, about his family, and no matter what had happened between them, about Loki.

The sword had turned Thor into a nigh unstoppable weapon. One that, for some reason, was determined to stay hidden from Loki’s view. It seemed like half the realms had dealings with Berserker Thor, yet Loki, who had been on a deliberate hunt for him, had yet to come across anything more than stories. He was about to the end of his patience.

**

Loki knew he must consult the Norns. He expected nothing from them, but knew there was no way forward without them. Skuld, Urdr, and Verdandi were giantesses from Jotunheim and not only were tasked with keeping Yggrdrasill alive and well but were instrumental in controlling the destiny of all beings in the nine realms.

Loki encountered Skuld first.

“Ah, sorcerer. We expected you yesterday.”

“I must protect myself from those that would stop me, Norn.”

“Of course.”

“Did you...” Loki stopped.

“Did we know what was to become of Thor?”

“Yes.”

“Of course we knew.”

“Do you know what...” Again Loki stopped.

“If you cannot speak, I cannot answer you. I will not have a conversation alone.”

“What will happen to us?” Loki whispered, quiet and reverent at always in the presence of the weavers of destiny.

“What is meant to.” Skuld paused in her tasks of gathering water and sand for the roots of Yggdrasil. “What do you really want to know? Is there any of your brother left to collect should you even find him? What? Speak plainly.”

“Will he know me?”

“You are a fool on a fool’s errand, and you want to know if he will know you?” Skuld scoffed. “You don’t even know yourself. You are selfish and vain and there is more at stake here than you and the one you call brother.” She leaned down to peer directly into Loki’s eyes. “Your destinies are set as everyone’s is. I make changes and decisions as I see fit. It is now your turn.”

Loki began to shiver.

“Tell me, little sorcerer, what are you going to do?”

**

Loki went to Vanaheim first. The whispers and dropped eyes as soon as he stepped onto soil of the realm let Loki know they were already aware why he was there. Odin had attempted to keep the fate of Thor as quiet as possible, but short of killing everyone that was there and everyone that might encounter Thor afterwards, there was little hope of it being kept a secret.

“I seek an audience with your greatest sorcerer,” Loki demanded.

“I hardly think we have one more powerful than yourself,” Freyr responded as if confused.

“I have need of knowledge,” Loki replied. “Assistance with something I have no skill in myself.”

“I believe last I heard, Amora was still in Asgard. Why not go to her for assistance?”

Loki merely stared at Freyr, his hold on his temper ragged and loosening.

Luckily for Freyr, he was not a stupid man and quickly directed Loki to their most powerful sorceress. Loki explained what he needed and then demanded her silence, a quick wipe of her mind and some residual seidr making sure she wouldn’t even remember he was there, much less what he had her do for him. Should Odin question her he would find nothing but faint traces of seidr.

Armed with the potions she made for him and the shadowy knowledge of the future she was able to share, Loki made for one of his secret passageways between realms. Freya stopped him on his way.

“Prince Loki! Prince Loki, wait up. I thought you would like to know that your brother was on Alfheim.”

“You saw him?” Loki demanded.

“No, not I, but we have word from family and friends.”

“I see. And the damage?”

“Some forest and property damage. All the elves and their creatures are well. You know they are a peaceful people. They would not have confronted him. They said,” Freya stopped for a long moment before she continued, “they said he was like nothing they had ever seen. That even his bellowing was enough to fell trees and strip the enchantments from their forests. They said he was looking for something. When he didn’t find it, he left.”

“How is he traveling?” Loki muttered to himself. “I must find out more about this sword.”

“Loki,” Freya interrupted. “They said he wasn’t just Berserker. There was no Thor left in him. I know you search for your brother. I’m just afraid that you will find he no longer exists.”

Loki ground his teeth, only his mother’s strict training in politeness stopping him from attacking her then and there.

“I will not only find my brother, Freya, I will bring him back to himself and back to our home. You will see.”

“Of course, Loki. If anyone can do it, it is you. Travel safe, Prince.”

Loki just nodded.

**

Thor has most definitely been on Alfheim. The realm of the Light Elves was no longer sparkling and beautiful and enchanted. The shine had dulled, and Loki could tell instantly that the realm’s magic was severely broken. He could feel the rift his brother left in Alfheim like a bleeding wound.

What was normally a smooth even beat was now more a struggling gasp for air. Alfheim was not dying, but had been very badly wounded. Loki immediately headed to Ljosalfgard to speak to the Queen.

Her description of the Berserker Thor and his weapon was terrifying.

“Are you really going after him, Prince?” She asked. “Even now? After hearing what we had to say about him and his weapon?”

“I will travel to Hel, if I have to, Your Highness,” was his only reply. With a deep bow and murmured salutations, he was gone.

**

Nidavellier yielded nothing but dwarves mocking him and threatening to sew his lips shut again – particularly since his brother was no longer around to extract any sort of revenge in Loki’s honor. It didn’t surprise Loki to have to fight his way into and back out of the land of the dwarves – seidr or not.

What did surprise him was the absolute terror he could feel throughout the entire realm. Nidavellier and the dwarves were a source of great power because almost every great weapon was forged there. The dwarves knew that regardless of the weaponry they made, should the Berserker decide it, Nidavellier would be wiped out in an instant and there would be no one equipped to stop him.

“I’ll stop him,” Loki murmured, “just stay out of his sight, and you should be fine.”

“Oh my,” King Eitri snarled, “the fate of the realms in your greedy, blood thirsty hands. I can’t wait to see how this turns out.”

Loki snarled back and left the dark underground realm to its fear.

**

“Come back to me, Thor. You’ve been gone long enough. Come home, now.” Loki reached out for Thor several times a day, desperately trying to find him. He let his mind go, traveling where it would. He developed a schedule. He’d look immediately after he woke, once during the day and again before he slept. Loki was a master of manipulating other people’s minds, and didn’t need to be anywhere near them to do so. His seidr was among the most powerful in all the realms. It was a continuing blow to him that he could not find his brother.

That Thor of all people, no matter what state he was currently in, had completely shut his brother out of his mind was another devastation all of its own. Loki and Thor had battled more than once and Thor had, at one time, dragged Loki back to Asgard in chains. Not even when Loki had his scepter buried deep into Thor’s side had his brother shut him out.

Every day Loki searched. Every day Thor eluded him.

**

“Hello, Reindeer Games. We’ve missed you.”

“Have you seen Thor?” Loki didn’t raise his voice, despite the blaring sirens and horns and screaming that surrounded him.

“Not since he dragged you back to Daddy the last time,” Stark answered. “Why? Did he run away again?”

“You have no idea,” Loki muttered, idly watching Midgardians on the street below them gather in their all black suits, weapons held high.

“Puny god!” Hulk growled as he stomped heavily to join the rest of the Avengers.

“Hulk,” Loki replied dryly, “at last, the gang’s all here.”

“Why are you looking for your brother, Loki? And why would you be stupid enough to come back here?”

“Hello, Cap. I’m doing well, thank you. So kind of you to ask.”

Steve flushed but didn’t respond.

Loki rolled his eyes as helicopters began to swarm Stark Tower. “I don’t have long,” Loki said, “and I certainly don’t have time for another game of skirmish with you little humans.”

“We won, you know,” Clint spat.

“Did you?” Loki replied, tone easy. “If you see Thor and I’m not with him, stay away.”

“What? Why?”

“He’s… He’s not the same as you remember.” Loki extended his hand to Stark. “Take this. If you see Thor on Midgard and I’m not with him, say my name three times and I will come.” Loki bent a bit to look Stark directly in the eye. “Do not approach or try to speak with Thor. If you see him, run.”

Stark stared at him in surprise. “Now wait just a minute, Reindeer...”

“It is a long story, and I don’t have time to tell it. Do as I say.”

“What have you done?” Natasha snarled.

“Your lack of faith in me, Lady Natasha, wounds me. I did nothing. Thor… Thor saved us all, and in doing so, failed to save himself.”

“Why should we believe a word you say?” She asked.

Loki rolled his eyes. “I don’t have time for this or you. Do as I say,” Loki repeated slowly and then disappeared.

“Man, I hate that guy.”

Loki had to laugh at that as he closed the portal. It was the first time since all this started.

**

Jotunheim was the last realm that Loki traveled. His and Thor’s last trip there was not exactly successful and between Thor’s arrogance and Loki’s bitter machinations, Asgard was lucky they were not still at war with the frozen realm.

Loki was quickly surrounded by a cage of ice. He simply pulled his cloak around him and did his best to appear bored. “Can we not? I merely wish to speak to your King and move along.”

“The last time you wished to speak with Laufey we nearly ended up in a war and your brother was cast from Asgard.”

“Hold a bit of a grudge then?” Loki scoffed.

“You could say that,” the Frost Giant said. “We’ve heard of your trek around the realms. No luck in corralling your wayward sibling?”

“No.”

“And what makes you think that we can be of any assistance… Wait, let me rephrase that,” the giant stopped and began again. “What makes you think we would be of any assistance to you?”

“Because...”

“And don’t start with any of this, “because I am Loki, Prince of Asgard” nonsense. We’ve done quite well without your interference and owe you and your family,” the giant’s face contorted into an ugly sneer, “no thanks for that at all.”

“Doing well, you say?” Loki slowly and deliberately looked around him. Jotunheim was a cold, barren realm. Vegetation was sparse and tenacious, like the Frost Giants that inhabited the endless winter land. When Odin seized the Cask of Winters, any beauty and ease were erased from Jotunheim. Nothing was left but bitterness and a stifling, equally bitter cold.

The giant stiffened but did not rise to Loki’s taunt. “Word is that your father doesn’t know where you are, Prince Loki,” the Jotunn snarled. “I wonder what he’d give for your safe… well, for your return. I don’t think he trusts you to find your brother. What do you think?”

“I think that I’m bored with you, and I’m rather tired. I don’t want to have to use my seidr if I don’t have to, so would appreciate you showing me the way. Everything is so...” Loki paused for a moment, “…white. I get turned around so easily.”

It was a lie of course, as Loki was wont to tell pretty much anytime he opened his mouth to a potential combatant. The Jotunn simply stared at Loki.

“Really? You’re going to make me do this?” Loki shook his head and raised his arms, only to flinch back when the giant reached through the bars, latching on to his wrist. He immediately began a healing and protection spell, glaring at the Front Giant, only to find him staring at the point where he was holding Loki’s arm.

In that moment, Loki realized there was no pain. Looking down, he saw his arm was as blue as the hand that held it. “I said I wanted to see Laufey. I really wasn’t asking.”

*

“Hello, little Princeling,” Laufey greeted, “you are either very brave or very very stupid. You’re lucky I didn’t kill you on sight.’

“Yes, yes, threat danger roar. I’m here about my brother. Has he been here?”

“He was.” the King said no more.

Loki raised both eyebrows. “And?” He asked, drawing out the word.

“Damage, destruction, death,” Laufey casually replied. “Your brother is quite a bit more powerful than he was before and he was looking for something. Was a bit cross when he didn’t find it.”

“My apologies. He is not himself though; you do understand.”

“Let’s cut the jokes tiny sorcerer. I saw your brother. There is nothing of him left. He is nothing more than Hel itself wearing your sibling’s skin. If you’re trying to save him, you’re wasting your time.”

“I’m getting tired of hearing that, I must say.”

“You amuse me, Prince Loki of Asgard. I have often wondered how you would bring about your own destruction. I’d even wagered it would be Thor that had that particular honor. I could never imagine, though, that it would be like this.”

Loki grit his teeth, but was silent. The giant that captured Loki had been silent until now, but took the opportunity to whisper something to the King. Laufey turned a suddenly narrowed eye to Loki. In a moment, he was down the steps and in front of Loki, his bare arm grasped in his hand.

“No.”

“You cannot beat my magic,” Loki started.

“This is not magic. This...” Laufey stepped back, dropping Loki’s flesh. “You are Jotunn.”

Loki scoffed, but couldn’t hide a deep frisson of fear when Laufey’s mouth thinned.

“I thought you were dead,” Laufey snarled. “I sent your brothers to find your body and make sure you were dead, but you were gone. There was so much blood. We assumed you were dragged off somewhere, savaged by an animal at the very least. But he took you!”

“What in the world are you on about?” Loki didn’t understand what Laufey was saying, but he felt like he wanted to vomit. Loki was of Asgard. It was merely his seidr protecting him from the Jotunn.

“No wonder you were such an outcast,” the King suddenly started laughing. “Imagine. A Jotunn runt on the throne of Asgard.”

The other Frost Giant spoke. “This is...” He faltered, unsure what to say.

“Yes, Hellbindi, this is the worthless runt that Farbauti bore during the war. The very one I had you drop in the temple to die.” Laufey started laughing again. “And Odin not only saved him, he made him a Prince!”

Loki was dead silent. He was of Asgard. He was not of Jotunheim. He was of Asgard. _He was of Asgard._

“Well, well, well. Looks like I don’t have to play this game with you, after all. You’re not Prince Loki of Asgard at all. You’re a nameless runt I discarded long ago. It seems Odin robbed me of that small satisfaction.” Laufey grabbed his mace. “No matter. I’ll gladly finish what I started.”

As Laufey leaped at him, Loki immediately teleported, leaving one of many doubles in his place. As the King looked for the real him, creating and throwing ice blades into the illusions, Loki quickly centered himself. He could not think about what Laufey said. Not right now.

Loki used his magic to quickly dispatch the other Jotunn and prevent any others from entering. Soon, it was only him and Laufey left.

“Very good little magician,” Laufey laughed, “but it will not save you.”

“No, but your incessant grandstanding will.” With that, Loki unleashed a barrage of long knives aimed at Laufey, some actual shards of the ice walls of the palace Loki’s seidr called into use against the King.

Laufey roared and sent ice blades and his mace flying toward Loki. Loki was fast enough to dodge most of them.

“You cannot kill me with a few blades, worthless runt!” Laufey screamed, even as he was driven to the floor and pinned.

“You are right,” Loki answered conversationally, “but even you can’t survive beheading.”

Laufey’s roar was cut off mid-scream as Loki hacked his head from his body. Loki stumbled outside, the giant’s enormous head dragging behind him.

“I am Loki, rightful heir to the throne of Jotunheim. I have defeated your King and I claim these lands for my own. I will be leaving but will return soon. Make sure things are prepared for me.” Without a waver, Loki left the realm – going anywhere.

All he wanted was to flee. To bathe in the confusion and anger and betrayal. Loki tucked it down and buried it tight. There wasn’t time for him to lose it over anything other than his broth- over Thor. There would be plenty of time for a reckoning later.

Time for answers. Time for him to take his rightful crown. Time to make things right.

If Thor didn’t kill him first.

**

Loki headed to space when he found nothing in the realms. Space was full of those that could not survive in the realms. Criminals, murderers, and dreamers alike made up the many and varied places that thrived in the stars. The longer he wandered, the farther he felt from Thor and the more he lost hope.

Another month passed by. Loki searched every moment of it.

**

It was a throw away comment in the middle of a dangerous, unnamed planet somewhere in space that led Loki to think that perhaps he had not been as unsuccessful as he thought.

A halfhearted illusionist of some undetermined alien race was showing them a trick. Amidst the oohing and praise, he smiled enigmatically and said, “Sometimes it’s not what you can see that you should be looking for, but what you can’t.”

That stopped Loki in his tracks. Looking for someone’s mind was just like looking for them in a crowd. You knew what you were looking for, and when you found it, there you were. Loki hadn’t thought much of it, but there had been… blank spots. Spaces where Loki expected to find a mind, but didn’t.

It wasn’t the work of cloaking. Hiding from Heimdall didn’t leave a space where Loki was supposed to be for example, it was just as if Loki did not exist. It could only be something or someone much more powerful than Loki, and the few creatures that were would hardly deign to hide from anyone they did not fear.

He made his excuses and left immediately for where he was staying. As he searched, he found it. Nothingness where there should be something. Perhaps Thor had not shut him out, after all. The person who called him brother was still there.

“Come back to me, Thor. You’ve been gone long enough. Come home, now.”

By the next dawn, Loki was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Loki could tell the very second he found Thor. The planet he landed on was distant and barren of people, though lush in greenery and vegetation. The air around him crackled with electricity. The hairs stood up on Loki’s arms and the back of his neck.

Closing his eyes, he reached out to find Thor. What had been a blank space from a distance was a seething black hole now. Loki could feel the Necrosword drawing him in. Thor was easily still a thousand miles away or more, but he was coming. Loki could feel the tugging in his gut and his head.

Thor knew he was here, and he was coming to find him. Loki steeled himself for the coming storm.

*

“I didn’t think anyone would be so foolish as to come after me. Especially not after the last few who tried.”

“And I didn’t expect you to be so vocal, Thor.” Loki deliberately used Thor’s name. “Aren’t Berserkers just mindless beasts?”

“A battle of wits before I kill you? Very well then. I’ll indulge you. Berserkers are vicious murdering animals created for one purpose – destruction. Luckily for this vessel, I am much more than that. Unluckily for you, not much more.” With that, Thor lunged.

Loki quickly created a shield, though it faltered almost immediately under the immense power of Thor’s strikes. Loki created another barrage of weapons as he’d done with Laufey, though this was merely a distraction more than anything else. Thor laughed as they came toward him, brushing them away like errant flies.

Loki flinched involuntarily as some hit home, making a mental note to look for them when he was healing Thor later. He renewed his shield and his volley of weapons at the same time as he created more doubles as distractions so he could continue to work with his seidr, the magic he needed to subdue Thor nearly completed. Unexpectedly, his shield failed, and he was surrounded by lightning stronger than any he had ever known.

Loki could feel his skin crackling, and it was nearly impossible to keep his grip on his magic. Bubbles raised and burst on his flesh the same as the blood vessels did underneath. The air around him climbed to an immense heat, every breath becoming a battle all its own. He could feel his armor start to melt in spots and there was a long moment when he felt his heart stop. One breath. Two. No beat. One breath. Two. It was back, weak and out of rhythm, but back.

And Thor. Thor was laughing. Loki was dying and Thor was laughing.

Angry, Loki moved as quickly as he could, rage causing him to forget his plan and sent him barreling toward his false brother. As Loki got closer to Thor, he became aware of a dark, inhuman hum. It wasn’t Thor; he was busy laughing. The All-Black.

“Yes, Little Prince. Yes. Come see what I can do. Come feed me, Little Prince.”

Flashes of Loki’s seidr bounced off the Necrosword like they were nothing and the whispering continued.

“So much anger. So much confusion. You will feed me for days. Come, Little Prince, come.”

Thor hefted the Necrosword as Loki approached. He struck swiftly and the weapon burrowed into Loki’s shoulder, Thor staring at him blankly, mouth wide open on a taunt, his voice joined with the haunting whisper of the All-Black.

“Come Little Prince, come. Oh. Perhaps I should call you King. My apologies, Your Highness.”

Loki screamed and fell as Thor pushed him from the sword and he lay panting, gathering his seidr for one last strike.

“Thor,” he whispered. “I am not one for sentiment, but if I could do this any other way, I would. This will hurt,” Loki paused for a split second, “but it will be over soon.”

“He is not here, Your Highness,” Thor snarled. “There is only me. And you… You couldn’t hurt me if you tried.”

Loki seized the moment, gathering his seidr and blasting Thor. He chanted spells as he worked, protection, destruction, death. The Berserker’s eyes widened for a second when he realized he had underestimated Loki’s power, but it was not for long. The Necrosword sang. Loki’s seidr failed. Loki plummeted back to the ground, weak.

Thor wheezed uncomfortably, blood pooling underneath him. “Well, well, Your Highness. I must say I am surprised. I’d let you play a little bit longer, but you’re beginning to bore me. Say goodbye to your lover, Little King. I’m sure you’ll see him again in Valhalla.” Thor stood over him, eyes blank and face cruel. “If I ever let him go.”

And that? That was enough for Loki. He would not die lying on the ground. The Berserker might kill him after all, but he wasn’t going to be unscathed.

Loki screamed and vaulted off the dirt, his hands splayed wide as he called forth everything he had left. He felt the faint warmth of his seidr protecting him, but it wasn’t his magic that attacked Thor. It was ice.

Sharp, thick shards of ice were pelting Thor at the same time Loki was slowly encasing him in solid frost. By the time Thor noticed his legs were coated, it was too late. He hacked at it with the Necrosword, but Loki’s ice magic had too firm a hold. Soon Thor was a solid chunk of ice, save for his face.

Loki approached him slowly, his Jotunn magic constantly building and strengthening the ice. Thor was screaming profanity and trying to struggle, but he couldn’t move even the smallest bit.

“When I get out of here, Little King, you can forget a swift death. You will suffer. I can see I have been foolish. I assumed you would be as simple to defeat as all the others.” Thor spat at Loki as he came closer. “Don’t think that you have won. I will not be defeated as long as I have the Necrosword.”

Loki ignored Thor and quickly evaluated his health and power. He was weak, his heart still not back to its normal rhythm and his wounds still seeping sluggishly. The constant renewal of the ice trapping Thor was draining him quickly, but if there was any chance to get Thor back, he would take it.

Thor was still talking but Loki concentrated on the All-Black, now encased in a thick slab of ice. The weapon was vibrating, the whispers dark and frantic. Loki could hear the ice start to crack, though he couldn’t see any on the outside yet.

Quickly judging the situation, Loki sent an apology to Thor and sent a hard kick to where he was holding the sword. It broke Thor’s thumb off, but the Necrosword fell to the ground and Loki wasted no time in breaking it into the smallest pieces he could, covering every shard in ice as he went.

Thor was screaming now and every fragment of the Necrosword was shaking, trying to reassemble. Loki pulled his seidr together and targeted every piece, removing the magic from each and leaving it nothing more than a lump of shadow turned solid. Loki gathered every shard together, particles smaller than dust piling on pieces the size of pebbles, swirling in a complicated dance with Loki’s magic until there was nothing left but a box – smaller than Loki’s hand and warded against everything he could think of.

In a moment, that too was gone.

Loki crawled to Thor and dragged himself to his feet. Using the last of his strength, he pressed his fingers to Thor’s forehead. Thor and Loki both screamed, the force of memory flooding through them both. The ice cracked, and Thor hit the ground moments after Loki, both writhing in pain as Thor’s life and the Berserker’s flew by in rapidly flashing images.

Thor fell silent and his body jerked on the bloody ground. Loki reached for him, but could not move. Somewhere during the flip of memories – the first time they fought, the first time they fucked, the first time Loki died – everything went dark.

**

Light picked its way around the edges of Loki’s vision, and he wondered for a moment if it was the fires of Hel that were waking him. But when he opened his eyes, he was still on the field and Thor was across from him, unmoving. Loki immediately staggered to his feet, running to Thor and collapsing again when he saw Thor was still alive.

Gathering his strength for one last use of his seidr, Loki grabbed hold of Thor and transported them to one of the hidden houses he had spread across the realms. By the time they arrived, Loki was out again.

**

Thor had been mostly silent since Loki brought him to what turned out to be a rather secluded cabin somewhere in Midgard. He asked repeatedly what had happened when he was “mad” and how Loki found him.

Loki finally snapped, “You weren’t mad, Thor. You were Berserker.”

“What?”

“You took on the Godbomb and the Necrosword, Thor. Not even you are that mighty.”

“How did you...”

“Later, Thor. We need rest. We need to heal.”

“Brother, I...”

Loki couldn’t stop the flinch at that if he tried.

“Do you… do you not wish for me to call you that anymore?” Thor asked stiffly.

“Thor...”

“I understand, Loki. Who would want to be a monster’s brother?”

Loki snorted at that and dragged his hands roughly through his hair.

“No one, Thor.”

Thor’s face dropped and became utterly blank.

“No, Thor. I don’t mean you. You are about as far from a monster as anyone I’ve ever met.”

“Then why...”

Loki pressed a finger to Thor’s mouth then stared at him for a moment. “It is I who am the monster, Thor. No, no, shh. Just listen. I have been all over the realms trying to find you. You are quite adept at shutting me out when you feel like it.”

Thor sat, waiting for Loki to continue.

“Of course one of my stops was Jotunheim. You can imagine how that went.”

Thor straightened, but remained silent.

“In the struggle,” Thor dragged Loki closer, and Loki could hear his teeth grinding in an effort not to speak. “In the struggle, one of them grabbed my arm.”

Thor grabbed at Loki’s armor, and Loki slapped him away.

“I’m fine, Thor, calm down.” Loki took a deep breath. “I’m also a Frost Giant.”

“What?”

Loki closed his eyes and let his Aesir glamour drop.

“Loki!” Thor gasped.

“See, Thor?” Loki snarled, “it is not you who are a monster. And you are not my brother.”

“How did this happen?”

“Apparently, I was abandoned because I was a runt. Odin found me and decided to keep me like some kind of stray pet.”

“Brother,” Thor started.

“I am not your brother. I am just a monster that was raised in the same house as you.”

“You are not a monster,” Thor said. “You are beautiful like this.”

“Do remember I am the God of Lies, Thor, not you. You are no good at it.”

Thor shrugged, “I have to say it’s a shock.”

Loki snorted. It had been quite the shock to him as well the first few times he'd used his seidr to expose his true form.

“But I mean it, _brother_. You are beautiful like this. You know I never did care if you were a snake or a raven or a woman or anything else you came up with,” Thor continued. “It’s a shock, and I really need to talk to Father about this...”

Loki stiffened.

“...but to me, nothing has changed.”

“Everything has changed,” Loki muttered glumly.

“Oh, brother,” Thor said, grinning even as Loki glared at him. “I mean it. Come on. Don’t be blue.”

Loki just stared at him.

“Get it? Blue? I learned that kind of revelry on Midgard.”

“I hate you so much in this moment.” Loki stared at Thor for a bit, then something occurred to him.

Thor sobered as he realized Loki was not laughing.

“It’s funny after all, isn’t it? That’s all we are, really. Just a collection of moments that all ran together. Moments grouped into lives. Individual experiences built into some shared space and time.

“You have no idea how much I hate you, right now, here in this cluster of moments. Why didn’t you attack me? Hate me? It makes no sense that you are utter accepting. Tell me, Thor,” Loki nearly whispered, “Tell me, _brother_ , what are these moments like for you?”

“I love you now the same I always have, brother.”

“So with contempt and disregard, then?”

“With every flaw my heart has to offer.”

Loki was silent. “We never did live moments quite the same, did we Thor?”

“But we did, brother. Sometimes. When we inhaled each other’s breath, feasted on sweat and cum and blood and tears, those times, brother. Those times, we were one.”

“I guess it’s just the rest of them we need to work on then.”

“Why did you come for me, Loki? Why you, when my own father wouldn’t?”

“I didn’t want to lose you.” Loki snorted, “Instead, I lost myself.”

“No, you didn’t, brother.”

“I’m a Frost Giant, Thor. A runt left to die in the ice and snow. The father I thought hated me isn’t even really mine and Mother...” Here Loki faltered. “Nothing I thought is correct. It was all a lie. My whole life, a lie.”

“It wasn’t _all_ a lie, brother...”

“Stop calling me that constantly like you’re going to will it so just by repeating it.”

“You _are_ my brother. I was lost, Loki. I know you saw some, in my head. But you don’t know what it felt like. There was just power. I could feel it raging through my veins. And the screaming. There was just this constant screaming. It was the blade screaming for blood. _Always more blood._

“And then, there was this, this spot in my mind that just cleared. It was like a small, cool place in the middle of all the chaos. I started to hear whispering – faint, underneath the sword. It...it sounded like you. I missed you so. Even in my madness, I knew I was missing something.

“It made him so angry. The weapon. He tried to get me back under his control completely, but your voice never stopped. Oh, it was agony to fight against him, but I wanted to hear you louder, longer. See if I could make out what you were saying.”

“And what was I saying?”

“Come back to me, Thor. You’ve been gone long enough. Come home, now.”

“I didn’t realize you could hear me.”

“I heard you loud and clear after awhile. I just couldn’t… I wasn’t clear of the All-Black just yet. I couldn’t quite stop.”

“I was afraid, when I found you.”

“Afraid of me?”

“Afraid of whatever it was you had become.”

“Brother...”

“Once I landed on that godforsaken planet, I knew. You were still thousands of miles away, but I could feel you like you were next to me. It was like you _were_ the atmosphere. The air crackled with your lightning – with your power.” They were both silent for a moment. “I didn’t expect to succeed.” Loki turned to look at Thor. “I didn’t expect to live.”

Thor flinched. “I could never kill you, brother.”

“You sure gave it a good try, though didn’t you?”

“Loki...”

“Shh, Thor, it’s alright. The Necrosword is gone. Isn’t it?”

“I feel myself again.”

“Mjolnir is safe in the Vault.”

“Do you really think I would be able to wield her after this?”

“I don’t see why not,” Loki replied, though Thor did have a point.

“So Father didn’t even bother to look for me?”

“He had to get back to the throne, Thor. I’m sure if he...”

“There’s no need to defend him so. He didn’t even try. I wonder, sometimes, how good a King I would make anyway. Perhaps it should be you on the throne, not me after all. I’m not sure I could make those kinds decisions.”

“Too much sentiment. It was always your biggest flaw.”

“My only flaw, you mean.”

“Hah! Hardly.”

“I’m serious, Loki. Maybe I was never meant for the throne. First my failed coronation day and now this. Even if the people would still allow it, I should probably abdicate. Leave the throne for you.”

“Frost Giant, Thor. Remember? Who is going to allow a Frost Giant to sit on the throne of Asgard?”

“You are still my brother. Second prince of Asgard.”

“As much as I loved being the back up heir, and the fact that I am currently the reigning monarch of Jotunheim,” Loki paused for a moment, “I don’t think the throne is for me. Either of them.”

“What? Has my megalomaniac of a brother forsaken rule?”

“Don’t get excited. I meant the throne of Asgard or Jotunheim. There are a number of places I saw in my travels that could use a better King and come with much less baggage.”

“I missed you, brother.”

“How could you not?”

“Indeed.” Thor rose from his spot and settled close to Loki. “Thank you, brother.”

“There is no need to thank me. I was merely bored and knew you’d give me a good challenge. I’d grown tired of besting everyone too quickly.”

“I see. You traveled the nine realms looking for me, spent months journeying the realms and space, battled the Frost Giants, killed their King and then left your rightful throne – because you were bored.”

“I get terribly mischievous when I’m bored.”

“This I remember. Loki...” Thor turned to him. “How much did I hurt you? When I was Berserker?”

“What?”

“I woke several times, but only for moments. I saw you beside me, each time. You were pale as death and I could barely hear you breathing. I was afraid that I had...”

“Think highly of yourself, don’t you?” Loki cut in. “It took a lot of my power to control you, that was all. You didn’t hurt me. Not any more than any of our other skirmishes.”

“Loki...”

“I am tired, still. Have you eaten your fill?”

“I have.”

“Then come with me, Thor. You could use some rest yourself.”

Thor hovered at the door to Loki’s bedroom.

“Well, come on then, I don’t have all day to wait for you,” Loki slid into bed and flipped the cover back. “I acquired a couple new furs in my travels. Come, now that you are in your right mind and can enjoy them.”

“I didn’t want to assume that you...” Thor trailed off.

“You are welcome in my bed, Thor, as you have always been.”

“Thank you, brother.”

“Everything will be fine, Thor. You’ll see.”

“What do you think Father will do when we come back?”

Loki turned to Thor and wrestled him to his side then snugged up tight against him. “Shh. We will worry about that later. Sleep now. We are still gaining strength.”

“Alright, brother. We will sleep.”

**

Thor didn’t wake again until the sun was high in the sky. Loki was still asleep. Thor went about his morning ablutions, but stared longingly at the shower. He didn’t know exactly how long he was Berserker, he and Loki hadn’t discussed details yet, but he was pretty sure the only shower he’d gotten then was the rain he’d brought down himself. Making up his mind, he undressed quickly and started the small but steady spray.

“I see you found my shower,” Loki said a few minutes later, yawning as he took care of his morning business. With a wave of his hand, the water pressure and flow increased and he joined Thor under the stream. “Move, Thor, we can share.”

Thor snorted. “Wanna bet?” Thor eyed the small shower stall and decided there was just enough room for both of them, but Loki didn’t need to know that. He waited until Loki was in the stall, then manhandled him where he wanted him.

“You have a thing about being behind me don’t you, Thor?”

Thor leaned forward and laughed. “It’s that ass.”

Loki barked a laugh and tried to turn to face Thor. “Something else you picked up on Midgard?”

“No.” Thor reached up and grabbed the back of his neck, forcing Loki’s face back around. Loki struggled, but Thor easily twisted him to the side and fisted a hand in his hair.

Loki growled and planted both hands on the wall, intending to push away. Thor just brought his arm up and drove it into Loki’s elbow, sending him crashing back against the wall cheek first. “I think you’ve forgotten how to shower, _brother_.” Loki sniped, his emphasis on the word brother turning it more into a curse word than anything else.

Loki continued to struggle, but Thor did not budge. He just laughed, then licked a wide stripe down the middle of Loki’s back. “Why struggle so, brother? Small slippery places can be ever so dangerous.”

Loki growled again but went still and silent.

“Stay exactly like that. You move, and I’ll not fuck you for days – no weeks – brother. And that’s not what we want at all, is it? I’ll attend to you when I’m clean.”

“Fuck off,” Loki hissed, but didn’t move. Instead, he relaxed and leaned closer to the wall; cheek pressed to the tiles.

Thor quickly scrubbed his hair and body clean. The water ran dark, then grey, then finally clear. When he was done, he turned the shower head so it poured down his brother’s body. He ran his hands over his brother’s pale flesh then stepped forward and pressed his heavy cock between Loki’s thighs.

“Sex was always the only time you’d ever listen to me, wasn’t it, brother?”

“You forget I’m only here because I want to be,” Loki groused.

“That is one thing I never forget, Loki. It is constantly on my mind.”

Loki stiffened and started to move, but Thor straight armed him back into the wall, then set his teeth to the top of Loki’s shoulder and bit down.

“I said don’t move, brother, and I meant it. You want to get fucked; you’ll get fucked however I will allow it.”

Thor could tell Loki was angry, but didn’t care. He was angry too. Angry that his father had essentially abandoned him. Angry that this brother hunted through the realms and space to find him but still wouldn’t acknowledge why. Angry that he had made his mother cry. Angry that he didn’t know what carnage he wrought and that Loki wasn’t about to tell him. _Angry at so many things._

Loki was strong and never was one for sentiment, anyway. Surely he would help Thor expend some of that rage. Wasn’t whipping boy one of his favorite burdens to claim? Would it be merely validation at this point to treat him so?

No, no matter what Thor was going through, he couldn’t treat Loki that way.

“Overbearing oaf,” Loki hissed, but anything else he was ready to spit at Thor was cut off when Thor thrust a finger into his hole without warning.

“I see you have prepared yourself for me already, brother.”

Loki muttered something under his breath.

“What was that?” Thor asked, then hooked his finger and tugged on the rim of Loki’s hole.

“You heard me,” Loki said through gritted teeth.

“I don’t believe I did, brother. Care to repeat it?”

“I think not.”

“I see. Been awhile, brother?” Thor asked conversationally as he added another finger then two, stretching Loki quickly and with an efficiency born of practice.

“When exactly would I have had time,” Loki snarled, “I was too busy looking for my Berserker of a brother who turned out to not be my brother at all.”

Thor stopped his fingers, but left them in Loki for a moment. Loki squirmed against them when Thor did not continue to move.

“Always trying to hurt me, aren’t you brother? I sometimes think that’s how you show love.”

“Love,” Loki spat. “How dare you of all people speak to me of love.”

“Still mad about Jane? I told you I never slept with her.”

“You are a liar...” Loki’s tirade was was cut off by the pull of Thor removing his fingers and the slick slide of Thor’s cock in his ass. Loki hissed against the initial burn and pain, slamming his fist into the wall, but it passed as he forced his muscles to relax.

“I do not wish to fight with you, Loki.”

“Then why… then why antagonize me so?”

“I am angry.”

“We are all angry, Thor. I have so much fury at times I can see nothing else, feel nothing else. We are _all_ angry,” he repeated.

“I am sorry, brother. I just can’t let go of the rage.”

“Then give it all to me.”

“Brother, I -”

“Give it to me, Thor. Just for a little while.”

“You don’t know what you’re asking for this time, Loki.”

“Thor.”

Thor felt Loki relax, then wrapped his hands around Loki’s wrists, set his feet and hammered into Loki.

 

He pistoned his hips and could hear Loki’s breathy grunts as he bottomed out with each stroke. He took Loki at his word and was not gentle. When Loki remained entirely too quiet for Thor’s liking, he dragged his brother away from the wall and held him with his face directly under the water.

Loki began to struggle, gasping, but Thor’s hand banded around his throat kept him in place. When he did not stop struggling, Thor tightened his hand until Loki was desperate for air. Thor could see, just in the corner of his eye, that Loki had dropped his hand and was now holding a dagger. Thor grabbed his wrist and focused. He sent a short burst of his power into Loki’s arm, and Loki dropped the knife to the shower floor with a clatter.

 

“Ah, ah, ah, brother. Remember once you told me to trust your rage?” Thor paused and Loki nodded. “Now you need to trust mine.”

Loki closed his eyes and forced himself to relax.

“I want to hear you. Let me hear you. Don’t deny me this, brother. It has been too long.”

With a powerful stroke, he nailed Loki’s prostate at the same time he gripped Loki’s cock and sent a burst of electricity sparking over Loki’s skin.

Loki yelled, his voice loud and piercing.

Thor continued the current with touches to Loki’s balls, taint and nipples. He trailed fire over Loki’s stomach, up his throat and into his mouth. Loki was mindless with want. Whenever Thor felt Loki tense, his thighs squeezing together in anticipation of an orgasm, Thor would set a shock along the base of Loki’s cock. It made Loki furious to be denied.

Thor could tell he was close, and deliberately sped up his strokes. It wasn’t long before he came, his thrusts slowing but not stopping as he churned his cum deep in Loki’s ass.

Loki groaned as Thor pulled out. “What...”

“Get out,” Thor said turning off the water. “Dry off and get on the bed.”

Loki slowly stretched out his legs and rolled his shoulders. He grimaced a little at the slick between his cheeks, but grabbed a towel and quickly started to dry himself.

“Don’t touch my cum or your cock,” Thor ordered. “Dry me off. And don’t forget your hair.”

Loki grumbled under his breath since he had been drying off with a towel, but waved a hand and both Thor and his own hair were dry.

Thor was waiting for him when he came out of the bathroom, and he waved Loki impatiently toward the bed. “Belly down, legs spread.”

Loki glanced down at Thor’s still hard cock and did as he was told. He laid his head on his folded arms in anticipation. Thor climbed on the bed beside him, but made no move to touch him. Loki watched Thor from under his lashes as he surveyed Loki’s body.

Thor grabbed at Loki’s ass, molding the pliant flesh in his hands. “You’ve never let me fist you, brother,” he commented conversationally.

The slight stiffening of Loki’s back was his only response. Thor dragged his thumb through the mess of his own cum on Loki’s hole, then drove the finger into Loki without warning, hooking it over the rim of Loki’s hole and tugging. “Have you, brother?”

“No.”

“Ever fisted anyone?”

Loki snorted and held up a large hand. “No one was ever adventurous enough to try.”

Thor laughed. “Cowards,” he idly replied. “It’s a shame. There’s nothing quite like being wrist deep in the person you’re fucking, feeling around, knowing you’re in their very guts.”

Loki shivered. He was on a knife’s edge of desire, and Thor seemed to be invested in driving him insane before he let him come. “I hate you,” Loki whispered.

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

Thor lowered his mouth and bit into Loki’s ass. “Somehow I don’t believe you.” Thor swung his leg over and straddled Loki’s legs. “Maybe we’ll hold off on fisting. You’re bound to be sore. What do you think, brother?”

Thor gripped one of Loki’s cheeks until his knuckles turned white and changed the thumb in Loki’s ass for three fingers. “I don’t know, though, you’re pretty loose after our little session in the shower. What do you say? It’s only two more fingers and a few knuckles. Are _you_ adventuresome, brother?”

Thor slid his fourth finger into Loki, grouping his fingers, his cum, though copious, not quite enough for a smooth slide.

Loki attempted to spread his legs a bit more at the same time he tensed.

“Yes or no, Loki.”

“Never let it be said that I ever backed down from a challenge, _brother_.”

“I’m not quite sure I like how you sound when you call me brother, _brother_.” Thor fucked Loki with his fingers for a few moments, his knuckles catching on the rim of Loki’s obscenely stretched hole as he did so. “I might have to see about changing your attitude.”

“My attitude is none of your concern, _Thor_ ,” Loki said, voice venomous.

“Well, that’s no better. Perhaps this will help set you on the path to a better mood.” With that, Thor slid his fingers from Loki’s hole. Stretched out between Loki’s legs, Thor buried his face in Loki’s ass, tonguing the cum out of his crack.

“Oh, fuck,” Loki cried out.

Pointing his tongue, Thor licked inside Loki, the salty bitterness of his own cum mixing with the dark muddled flavor of Loki’s body. “You’re so filthy, aren’t you, Loki?” Thor muttered, face still buried in Loki’s ass. “You never did get that shower did you?”

Loki stiffened, but Thor continued.

“I can taste you, you know, every flavor of you. Sweat and cum and ass. Tastes so good.” Thor raised his head and spoke again. “You look so good like this. Covered in sweat, every muscle in your body tense, your gorgeous cock hard and leaking all over your brand new furs.”

“Thor.”

“We need more slick, brother.”

Without hesitation, Loki held up a hand, a small pot of oil appearing in it.

Thor reached for the pot, coating first his fingers then Loki’s hole. “Here we go, brother.”

Loki tensed, but a small blast of Thor’s lightning jolted him enough that he relaxed his muscles very deliberately.

“You’ve already taken four, Loki,” Thor chided. “There’s hardly more than that left.”

Loki knew Thor was lying. His own hands were quite large, as was his stature, even among the peoples of Asgard. Thor’s were even larger still. Loki breathed evenly and slowly, calming his anxiety and his desire.

Thor slipped in two fingers, then three, then four. He pressed his thumb to the ring of muscle as Thor fucked his fingers in and out of Loki, stretching him a bit more with every stroke. The next time his fingers slid out of Loki’s hole, there were five pushed back in.

Thor added more oil as he went, and with the introduction of his thumb, he began to push more into Loki with each stroke than he had been. “Up to my first knuckle, brother. How does it feel?”

“Let’s switch places, Thor, then you can tell me.”

“Oh, and have you miss out on this? I could never do that to you, brother.”

“How...” Loki’s breath caught at the next big push, his muscles straining against the steady, painful intrusion. “How considerate of you,” he gritted out, panting.

“Breathe, Loki. Relax.” Thor rubbed Loki’s back and legs with his free hand, all levity gone. “Tell me to stop and I will.”

Loki didn’t bother to reply.

“I will have had you in nearly every way I can now, brother. With toys, with my cock and now with my fist. More positions than I can remember. All that is left is to fuck you with someone else. Would you like that, brother? More than one cock in your tight, straining ass?”

Loki moaned.

“Or maybe a cock and a fist. What do you think of that? Perhaps someone could use their hand to pleasure me while we are inside your body. Slip in first then clench their fist tight around me as I thrust. Tell me, would you allow that?”

Thor had reached the widest part of his hand and his sharp knuckles were straining against Loki’s tight rim. “It doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t allow it. You are mine, brother. Mine alone. No one else will ever have you again.”

Loki cried out as Thor finally thrust his knuckles through the tight ring of muscle. “Hardest part is over, my love. It’s all pleasure from here.”

Loki had no immediate reply. He was no stranger to pleasure. He and his brother were gods even among Asgardians after all, or the closest thing there was in the universe, anyway. He and Thor had been immersed in the gratification of pleasure for as long as they knew what pleasure was. The sheer decadence of sharing the joy of a good fight, rich food and drink, and the depths of music and theater with another being that could truly handle their passions was a revelation they indulged in every moment they could.

Yet even with the wholly new sensation of the rim of his hole clinging to Thor’s wrist, there was only so much Loki would put up with. Loki blasted Thor with a touch of seidr, a snake like strike that left Thor with a stinging mark over the side of his face and neck. Loki could feel Thor tighten the fist deep within his body.

“What was that for, brother? Do you really think it wise to anger me right now?”

“Do not think you can dictate anything about my life, _your majesty_ , most certainly not my sex life.”

The air around Thor started to crackle. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying,” Loki panted. “That if I am with you and no one else, it is because I will it to be so, and no other reason.”

“Always so willful. Will you deny me my right to command even when I am King?”

“In matters of my own person? Yes, I will,” Loki paused when Thor moved abruptly then continued. “But I will follow you when it matters, Thor. And you will always be my King.”

“No wonder no one else was ever able to hold my eye. They were all too simple and so rarely vexed me.”

“You know what they say, your majesty. Boredom is one of the greatest tortures1.”

“Always looking out for me, aren’t you brother?” Thor carefully stretched out his fingers, stroking gently.

Loki could feel what must be Thor’s thumb brushing his prostate and his cock began to harden again. He had welcomed the pain, a sharp bite to counteract the rage and desolation in his head. But he hadn’t expected this. He had never felt so full, so turned on by so little movement.

Loki’s orgasm was a surprise, like a slow wave lapping against a storm battered shore. “Brother,” he whispered.

Thor carefully removed his hand, sliding with the clutch and release of Loki’s orgasm instead of struggling against it.

“Brother,” he echoed, carefully climbing over Loki to lie against his back. His hand was soft in Loki’s hair.

Loki allowed it for a moment, then started to tense.

“Loki, no. I have been through so much. _You_ have been through so much. Let me have this. Please.”

He was disheartened when Loki pushed him off his body, wincing as he moved, but Loki merely turned to his side and began to stroke Thor’s shoulder.

“How is your rage?”

“Sated for the moment,” Thor replied. “Loki...Will you ever tell me what I did when I was Berserker?”

“It was nothing of great consequence, Thor. There is no need.”

“Ah, but you think no one but you is of great consequence, brother. See my worry?”

“Fair point. Nothing of great consequence to _you_ , then. Is that better?”

“If it is not, then what is the harm of me knowing?”

Loki stopped his ministrations and gripped Thor’s shoulder tightly. “It was not you, Thor. It was the weapon. I know you. I know how you feel.”

“So it was bad then.”

Loki stared at Thor for a moment, unblinking. “News travels fast even in the vastness and lawlessness of space. Odin tried to keep it unknown, but nothing worth gossiping about ever stays a secret for long. Except my parentage, apparently.”

“Loki,” Thor started, but Loki cut him off.

“Another time,” Loki said. “People knew about you, Thor. And people were afraid. No one had seen you, but they’d all seen gods killed by the Butcher and that weapon. Some had even seen his berserkers in action. They knew, with your strength and the All-Black’s malevolence you would be unstoppable. They knew to get out of your way.”

“And did they?”

“Mostly.”

“And the ones who didn’t?”

“Fools, all of them. Trying to prove something by coming up against the might of Berserker Thor.”

“And did they?”

Loki paused before he answered. “They proved how well they die.”

“How many,” Thor asked tightly.

“Only five.”

Thor tensed up, ready to flee. To take his murdering hands and never taint his brother with them again. But if there was one thing Loki knew perfectly, it was Thor, and he tightened his grip, slinging a leg over Thor’s hip to further anchor him in place.

“They attacked first, Thor. Every one of them. It was as any battle.”

“You weren’t there. You can’t be sure.”

“I have seen it from your very eyes, Thor. There is no more reliable a storyteller than that.”

“I want to believe you, brother.”

“But you won’t?”

“You are the God of Lies, Loki,” Thor rushed on when Loki would have interrupted, “but more than that, you would tell any lie to spare me from something like this – even something of my own doing.”

“You think highly of your worth to me, don’t you, Thor?”

“Just this once brother. Just once tell me the truth.”

Loki was silent for a very long time. “You are right, Thor. I would lie to you to spare you from this. I… I love you more than you can ever know. But this time, brother,” Loki spoke the appellation like an endearment, “this time I had no need for untruth. What I said to you was true.”

“I believe you, Loki.” Thor smiled and cupped Loki’s cheek. “I believe you, my love.”

“So much sentiment,” Loki groaned.

“You will live through it, brother. I promise.”

“Go to sleep, Thor, I find I cannot bear your yammering any longer.”

“But I am hungry,” Thor moaned. “Surely you didn’t save me just to turn around and starve me to death!”

“Don’t give me any ideas, particularly right now.”

Thor tried his best to look pitiful.

“What a vain and pontifical creature you are! If you are hungry then go. Find us food. I shall be right here when you get back.”

“But brother...”

“I am not your brother, Thor, and I have no desire to go searching for food to fill your empty gut. Go and leave me to my rest.” Loki shooed Thor off the bed and out of his room. With a wave of his hand, he clothed Thor in his armor and pushed him again. “Off you go. And don’t come back until you have enough meat for at least lunch and supper. I certainly don’t want to go through this again later in the day.”

Thor laughed, a deep rich sound Loki thought he’d never hear again. He headed for the meager cache of weapons but then stopped and rounded on Loki again. He kissed him, slow and sweet. “I love you too, Loki.”

Loki watched him leave then went back to bed. They would have to go back to Asgard. He only wished he knew what to expect once they got there.

\-----  
1Erich Fromm


	3. Chapter 3

In the end, it was both as easy and as complicated as Loki had feared it would be. They moved quickly and quietly through the realms on passages seldom used or long forgotten. He kept himself and Thor cloaked until they stood directly outside of the throne room doors.

“Ready, brother?”

“I am ready, Thor.”

Loki dropped his seidr one long moment after Thor threw open the throne room doors. To those in the room on the other side, it seemed as if the doors were pushed open by some ghostly force or an incredibly voracious wind.

“Always with the flare for the dramatic,” Thor commented as people gasped in fear. “You know how superstitious people are.”

“Fine,” Loki sighed, dropping his seidr.

Odin and his guards were on their feet but still, their weapons ready but their stances deceptively easy.

“Berserker!” Someone screamed, and it spread through the vast hall, panic rising like a teeming deadly tide.

Loki raised his hands at the same time Odin tapped Gugnir sharply on the floor. The room fell into silence, and everyone froze save for Odin and his sons.

“Thor, I see you have returned.”

“I was not on a trip, father. As you might recall it was something a bit more important than that.”

Odin frowned at Thor sharp tone. “I am aware, son.” Turning to Loki, he opened his mouth to speak to him as well.

“You can drop the son bit,” Loki said conversationally. “I know the truth of things.”

“Do you?”

“Well enough.”

“Then you are fully aware that you are indeed my son. As such, I suggest you go see your mother. She has been brought low of late – what with two children missing.”

Loki merely arched a brow. “Of course.” Thor and Loki bowed stiffly and pivoted to leave the room.

“Do have dinner with your mother and I tonight. We have much to discuss.”

The soft click of the doors was their only response.

“I don’t trust this.”

“I don’t trust anything.”

“I have been gone for months,” Thor whispered. “I have been Berserker for months! I have spread destruction from one end of the realms to another. Why is he acting like I’m just back from a long hunt?”

“You will remember he was much the same with me,” Loki paused, “aside from throwing me in the Asgardian dungeons to rot.”

“Do you think he would...”

“No brother. Mine was willful destruction. Yours was different.”

“I guess we’ll see.”

“Let’s go find mother.”

**

Frigga was in her garden where she had been spending most of her time lately, weaving a tapestry of Thor’s triumph over Gorr. It wasn’t the usual use for her loom, but she couldn’t help but worry that seeing Thor’s face on the as she toiled would be her last. She often wept as she worked, but she couldn’t help but be hopeful in turns as well.

If anyone could save Thor, Loki could.

She had always been aware that they were closer than two brothers ought to have been, but had firmly chosen not to dwell on it. There was so much she had wanted to tell Loki – both of them really – but had been forbidden from doing so. As time went on, she couldn’t help but be glad they didn’t tell Loki after all.

She kept him close to her in a way she’d probably have been denied if he’d know she was not his real mother. She groomed him, selfishly and lovingly – teaching him magic, helping him shape his seidr, teaching him how to flourish in the sometimes overwhelming shadow of his big brother.

It was only when Loki began to struggle that she regretted they had never told him of his true heritage. She couldn’t help but think that perhaps if he had known, he’d have been more settled, less chaotic. That the confusion and anger and hatred and misunderstanding might be, if not gone, then blunted down instead of sharpening to a razor fine edge under the enormous weight of lies and secrecy.

They dared to call him the God of Lies. It made her angry, because he was hardly the only one. What else would he be, after all? His whole life had been lived under a veil of lies he hadn’t even known about.

Yarn was slipping through her loom, the shuttle’s swish and the clank clank clank of the frame a soothing background noise for her roiling thoughts. She wondered if Thor was alright. She wondered where Loki was. She wondered if Thor had killed anyone else. She wondered if either of them thought of her.

After news of Laufey’s death reached them, she wondered if Loki hated her. If he still considered her his mother. She second and third guessed every decision she’d made since Odin brought Loki to her. She planned a tapestry for him next. Her beautiful child of frost.

“Mother.”

Frigga froze, reluctant to turn around, afraid she would see nothing but a specter of her precious Thor.

“It’s alright. He’s really here.”

She whirled around and ran to them, her tall, strong boys. “I knew it. I knew you’d find him. Bring him back.” She cupped both their faces in turn, kissing them repeatedly and crying in joy instead of worry and despair.

Loki smiled at her and pulled away.

“No,” she couldn’t help but cry.

“I’ll leave you with your son,” he said deliberately and bowed stiffly.

“Loki, please.”

He came back to her for a moment, smoothing his hand over her back, “I missed you, Frigga.”

“No more than I missed you, _my son_ ,” she couldn’t help but emphasize.

“Ask Thor about his grand adventures,” Loki answered. “I’ve grown quite tired of hearing about them, personally. I’ll be glad for the reprieve.”

Thor had been quiet up until then, and he snorted at Loki’s blatant lie. “Won’t you stay?” Thor stared at Loki intently.

“There’s much to do, Thor, since we made such a spectacular and unexpected return to Asgard. I’ll see to it.” He turned, but then paused for a moment, spinning back around. “She at least knew I was alive, Thor. Show her that you’re fine.” With that he left.

“Does he hate me? Your father?”

“Not you. That I can promise you. Father, well, he not only neglected to tell him about his true parentage but he both abandoned me _and_ would have stopped Loki from looking for me. I’m afraid Loki is keeping his thoughts about that close to his chest.” Thor looked down at his calloused lightning scarred hands. “You know how Loki is, mother. He couldn’t have found out at a worse time or in a worse way. He hasn’t had a chance to deal with it. I fear it can only get worse before it gets better.”

“I both regretted not telling him and was glad we never did. I had hoped… Well, I don’t know what I hoped.” Wiping her cheeks, she hugged Thor one more time. “Sit with me! I’ll call for food and drink and you can tell me about you and your brother’s grand return and...” Frigga stopped for a moment, “...anything else you want me to know.”

“I killed people, Mother. Loki assured me they were just there to prove something and attacked me first, but I...” Thor’s voice cracked and petered out. “No one could have brought me back but him. I was as good as dead.”

Frigga gasped. She had known that. Everyone had known that. Most people had Thor dead and gone already. But to hear it from Thor’s own mouth… it really drove home how close she was to losing him – both her children.

“Only his voice could drown it out. When I could hear nothing else, I could hear him.”

“My sons,” Frigga breathed shakily.

“I love him, Mother.”

“I know you do,” Frigga said. She also knew Thor wasn’t just speaking as Loki’s brother.

“When he goes to settle the throne in Jotunheim, I’m going with him.”

“And what of this throne?” Frigga asked carefully.

“I don’t know. Tell me. How many people do you think would be happy to have a Berserker on the throne of Asgard? As many as would a Frost Giant?” Thor knew he sounded bitter, but he was still too raw from what happened to soften his tongue. He was like a giant open wound, flayed and painful and infected. Loki was a thin, strong bandage over the top, but there were worlds of healing for both of them to do yet.

“It will work out as it is meant to,” Frigga whispered.

“That it will, Mother. That it will.” Thor leaned over and kissed her again, her skin smooth and damp and something he never thought he’d see again. “I love you, Mother. And so does Loki. Have faith in that.”

“Always, my sons. Always.”

**

Dinner was a stilted affair, and Loki quickly and smoothly cut down any attempt at discussing his real parentage. Every time Odin tried to bring it up Loki would reply with a simple, “I’m not ready to talk about that right now.” Thor could see that Odin was getting frustrated, but silently dared him to say a word about it. It was his and Frigga’s lies and deceit that put them in this position to begin with.

They were midway through the main course before anyone dared broach the subject of Thor’s time as a Berserker. Even then, it was Thor himself who brought it up.

He’d just reached for another serving of meat when the silence at the table suddenly became crushing.

“Are we just going to ignore the fact that I was Berserker, Father?”

“I have made reparations for any damage done in the realms. You and Loki have returned to us. I see nothing to discuss.”

Loki snorted but continued to eat. Frigga carefully took a sip of wine and settled her glass with precision and care.

“Odin...” She began, “Don’t you think we should speak about what happened?”

“I see no reason for it,” Odin answered, bringing his fork to his mouth and chewing slowly and thoroughly. “What is done is done. Thor saved us all from almost certain destruction. Loki, in turn, was able to not only find him, but to bring him back to us. My sons are here now, the realms are recovering and we are enjoying this wonderful meal. There is nothing more to discuss.”

“You didn’t look for me,” Thor stated quietly.

“No, I didn’t,” Odin swallowed heavily. “You aren’t thinking like a King yet. You would understand if you were.”

“Did you want to at least?”

Odin sat down his wine, his need for a drink forgotten. “I did.”

“Then why would you try to stop Loki from finding me?”

Odin placed his fork on his plate and looked Loki, who was staring back at Odin, right in the eye. “I didn’t trust him.”

Loki flinched, but Thor could tell from Loki’s small nod that it had been the right thing to say. There had been enough lies in the family. There could be no more.

“I was wrong,” Odin continued. “I was wrong about a lot of things.”

“I am returning to Jotunheim within the week,” Loki said, practically daring Odin to argue.

“Heimdall will open the Bifrost for you whenever you are ready,” was Odin’s only reply. “There is much to do in Jotunheim. Much to repair.”

As Odin stared at Loki, Thor knew it wasn’t only Jotunheim’s throne he was referring to. He would wait until later to let Odin know he was going with Loki. There was time yet for that conversation.

“We will go to the vault after supper. You’ll need the Cask.”

Loki nearly dropped his fork in surprise, but made no comment.

Odin turned to Thor. “Mjolnir waits for you there, as well.”

Thor knew. He’d felt her singing as soon as he and Loki stepped foot on Asgard. Could feel her vibrating where she lay, almost as if she’d come whether Thor called her or not. Thor knew. But he hadn’t called. Hadn’t gone to the vault because he was afraid.

“Perhaps they should rest first,” Frigga said, worried as always about her sons.

“We’ll retire soon after,” Loki said as he smiled at her. He cupped her hand in his as it lay on her napkin. “We are almost good as new.”

It was a lie, but Thor supposed not all lies were damaging after all.

Supper was quiet after that but full of an ease Thor never expected. He couldn’t stop the shaking and the roiling of his stomach when they went to the vault, but Loki accepted the Cask of Winters with aplomb and thanks, squirreling it away somewhere Thor never could understand.

He turned to Thor then and pushed him gently to call for Mjolnir. Thor slowly opened his hand, still afraid she would reject him even though he could feel her joy at him being so near. She flew to his palm without a moment’s hesitation, slotted into place like they’d never been separated.

Thor had to refrain from clutching her to his chest like a lost lover, but could tell from the mirth in Loki’s eyes that he’d been more transparent about the wish than he’d have liked. He smiled widely at Loki, and they made their excuses and headed to bed.

Perhaps it was Mjolnir’s easy return, but Thor didn’t even hesitate this time, he simply pushed Loki into his chambers and started kissing him before the great doors had even closed.

“Calm,” Loki laughed. “You’re liable to bash me in the head with that ridiculous hammer, then were would we be?”

Thor smiled sheepishly then placed Mjolnir on her usual resting spot. “Are you really tired, brother?”

“Still not your brother, and yes, I’m weary after all the tension and drama of dinner.” Loki strode to Thor’s bed. “Undress me slave, for I am tired.”

Thor laughed but complied. “Where is your magic? Couldn’t you just vanish both our clothes?”

“I could, but then I would be unable to boss you around.”

“Valid point.” Thor took his time, kissing every part of Loki as he uncovered him. Soon enough, they were snuggled into bed, Loki draped across Thor like the softest fur. “Brother,” Thor started, “I would come with you to Jotunheim.”

Loki stiffened, but then immediately forced himself to relax. “Have you actually thought about it? Or is this more of that sentiment you seem to love so much?”

“I would come with you to Jotunheim,” Thor repeated.

“What if I stay?”

“What if you don’t?”

Loki raised up on his elbow, one hand on Thor’s chest, concern plain on his face. “Thor...”

“Shh, I thought you were tired, brother.”

Loki muttered something but settled back down on top of Thor.

“We will make it work, brother. You and I.” Thor whispered.

“Hush, Thor. Sleep. You were right. We will wreck the realms tomorrow.”

Thor laughed and lifted Loki’s face for a long kiss before they stilled. It took hours for them to sleep.

**

Miles and miles away, Skuld hummed as she and her sisters tended Yggdrasil. She had some weaving to do.

 


End file.
